Thursday, July 06, 2006

Orange house of cards collapses..

Turbulent events are taking place in the VR today, even as I write. First PoR boss Yanukovych, in a rather 'wobbly' pronouncement, nervously declared the blockade to be over, so the work of parliament could resume.

Shortly after, a large number of Socialists, the smallest party of the orange triumvirate, said they wouldn't vote for the controversial Petro Poroshenko, the oranges' previously agreed candidate for VR speaker.

Then Yosyp Vinskyi, first secretary of the Socialist polit-rada, resigned his party position, accusing the majority of his party of trying to form a coalition with PoR, so betraying their orange partners. He accused President Yushchenko of being primarily responsible for the current mess because he stalled and dragged out the formation of the orange coalition after the 26th March elections. He also called the Socialist leader Oleksandr Moroz a traitor, and accused the turn-coats in his party of taking bribes: "..Although I do not have facts..nor documents, you will soon see who will be driving which automobiles, and who is living in what kind of apartment," he said.

Poroshenko [always a crazy choice for VR speaker because he is deeply unpopular with the electorate] sensationally then removed his candidature, and Socialist leader Oleksandr Moroz, and the odious Mykola Azarov from PoR, threw 'their hats into the ring'.

Everyone is, no doubt, going round making up lists of names, but it seems that PoR, the Communists, and the Socialist traitors do not have, as yet, sufficient deputies on their list to get their man Azarov elected for VR speaker.

There are rumors that PoR are prepared to support Moroz for speaker, if, in exchange he invites Yushchenko to nominate Azarov for PM.

One small snag - Azarov cannot [will not?] speak in Ukrainian when addressing the VR. Today he was heckled and whistled when he attempted to address the VR in Russian.Although it is normal practice for some deputies to address the assembled VR in Russian - something that happens very frequently with no problems, clearly, for a prospective speaker, this is not acceptable to many deputies.

Neither BYuT nor NSNU will participate in tonight's vote for speaker, according to their spokesmen..

Tymoshenko for PM is looking a long way away..

Update: Moroz has been elected VR speaker by 238 votes to 0. Looks like the PoR - Socialist - Communist vote was very solid.

So it seems the day the VR was 'unblocked', was the day the backroom PoR-Socialist deal was done. What are the chances the Socialists now vote 'Tymoshenko for PM', and go against their new pals?